Sivter
The Defel known only as Sivter (31 BBY) is an extremely dangerous and cunning Darksider, well-versed in many aspects of the Dark Side. As the undisputed Dark Master of the Cult of Shadow, he seeks to plunge the galaxy into chaos and then rebuild it according to his own twisted design. He won't hesitate to do whatever is necessary to achieve his goal. Highly intelligent and naturally cautious, Sivter won't reveal himself or attack unless he feels he can win. He also is not averse to fleeing if the situation goes badly for him. This has made him a very perilous and vexing foe to the few that have survived his attacks. In addition to his skills in the Force, Sivter is also highly adept at many talents outside the realm of a typical Darksider, such as slicing and genetics. He is a perfectionist and constantly seeks to better himself by fixing any perceived weaknesses: mentally, spiritually, and physically. Even greater than Sivter's desire to remake the galaxy is his desire to achieve immortality. His ultimate fear is to die and be cast into the madness of oblivion. Aside from the obvious benefit of living forever, he also knows of the necrotic effect too much power in the Dark Side can bring to an ordinary body. It is the ultimate curse of any Dark Side Master and one Sivter intends to overcome. With the Cult of Shadow doing his will throughout the galaxy, it has given Sivter plenty of time to work on achieving this goal. Thanks to his experiments, Sivter is nearing the point where he believes he can transfer himself into a new body of his own design; something that would be able to handle the power of the Dark Side much better than his mundane Defel body. As Sivter’s considerable power continues to grow, so too does the threat he poses to the rest of the galaxy… =Skills= Sivter is a perfectionist to his core. He will do whatever he deems necessary to solve any flaws or obstacles standing in his way. This fervor has been one the largest factors behind his impressive knowledge in the Force and other subjects. It has also fueled his philosophy of remaking the galaxy. Physiological *'Perfect Memory' Sivter was born with a perfect memory. He only needs to see something once to remember it. Everything he experiences at any moment of time in his life is readily accessible to him. This natural ability has served Sivter extremely well in his travels, especially when it comes to information gathering. *'Altered Eyes' With his considerable knowledge in the field of genetics, Sivter was long ago able to alter his natural eyes so that, unlike other Defel, he wouldn't be blinded by light outside of the ultraviolet spectrum. He is able to see in all light spectrums unaided. *'Defel Abilities' Sivter is very adept at making use of his species' natural ability to absorb visible light. Aside from using it to remain out of sight, he uses it to prey on the fear that it induces in others, often combining it with the Dark Side to heighten the effect. Aside from his ability to absorb light, the naturally stocky form and lanky arms of a Defel gives Sivter a greater natural strength and reach than would be assumed by his stature. He has been able to out-muscle several humanoid opponents without apparent difficulty. Lightsaber Forms Sivter prefers to avoid fighting if he can and will often give an opponent the chance to flee so long as it won’t interfere with his plans. At first this was due to his relatively poor skills with a lightsaber, but even after attaining mastery with the blade, Sivter has retained his preference. The difference is that he no longer sees most opponents as being worth his time and energy to destroy. Making use of his natural strength, Sivter’s first practiced form and the one he’s best with is Djem So, which he uses quite effectively. The other form he uses is Soresu so as to give himself a solid defense against all manner of threats. Sivter also makes frequent use of Dun Möch, both as a way to dominate his opponents and to end a fight that much sooner. Force Powers Sivter has become well-versed in many of the techniques that are common to Jedi, and Darksiders in particular. He specializes mainly in aspects of stealth or mind control and as such he frequently uses Force Concealment, Force Cloak, Drain Knowledge and Mind Twist to name but a few. Like lightsaber dueling, he tends to rely on combative abilities only as a last resort. This makes him no less dangerous in a fight. His Dark Side training includes a wide range of techniques that cover both Dark Jedi and Sith teachings. However he isn’t content to simply learn a technique, Sivter will study it thoroughly and experiment in different ways to use it so as to take his opponents off-guard. Many times this has allowed him to come up with new ways to use an established power such as actually being able to direct where his Force Lightning goes instead of firing it in a straight line. Despite his ingenuity with using established powers, or perhaps due in part to it, Sivter has also worked to develop new abilities. Through his impressive knowledge and intelligence, he is the first known Darksider to use the following: Pain Spike, Spirit Absorption, Confined Dark Force Storm, and Darkness. More recently he has also shown an ability to create Mental Clones of himself in others and to induce memories similar to Caamasi memnii. Sivter usually keeps his full power suppressed. Aside from allowing him to avoid detection by other Force-users, it has also become a matter of necessity for him to survive. Sivter has become so powerful that his full strength in the Dark Side causes his body to start rotting. It is a problem he is working to solve. Weapons *'Lightsabers' Sivter has used a variety of different lightsabers throughout his life. He is most commonly seen with the standard singlebladed variety, with blade colors that are either red or a variation of it (such as orange or yellow). He’ll sometimes use more esoteric designs, such as a firesaber, for the purpose of giving himself an edge against opponents expecting him to use a standard lightsaber. Sivter’s most recent lightsaber is based off of the ultraviolet blade that Jedi Master Qidak Aaia uses. It is still a singlebladed design, but Sivter has added a feature that allows him to adjust the light spectrum of his blade. With it, he can make his blade visible only to the ultraviolet spectrum, tune it to visible light (where it appears red), or go all the way into infrared. Not only does this allow him to create what is, in effect, an invisible blade, but he can also deceive opponents into thinking his lightsaber is weakening by putting the tuner at a halfway point. In addition to his normal lightsaber, Sivter has been known to keep back-up lightsabers with him, of the singlebladed variety, either for use in emergencies or to take an opponent by surprise. *'Sith Daggers' Sivter is known to carry daggers on him that are laced with Sith Poison. They are a means of silent attack, used mainly to kill someone without the flash of a lightsaber. The daggers are created through alchemy to allow them to withstand lightsabers. The poison itself serves a few purposes. Depending on the depth of the cut and the nature of the target, Sivter can either speed his target into death or simply increase their openness to the Dark Side. He has also been known to cut himself with the daggers to gain this boost in the Dark Side. Sivter’s most notorious use of the daggers was during the Battle of Onderon when he killed Faarel Blackthorne by stabbing the Jedi Master through the heart with one during a lightsaber duel. *'Sith Amulet' Sivter has been seen in possession of a Sith Amulet he created himself. He has only used it once so far, as a means to restore his power after a taxing fight. It is unknown what other abilities, if any, the amulet has. Other Knowledge *'Slicing' Sivter's oldest expertise is the ability to slice into computer systems. He is extraordinarily skilled, able to bypass all but the most difficult security measures with ease. He has demonstrated his skills numerous times and has even been able to crack the Jedi Archives in relatively short order. *'Programming' A natural extension of Sivter's interest in slicing is his interest in programming, the most well-known aspect of which are his computer viruses. More often than not these viruses go hand-in-hand with Sivter's slicing. He'll often use viruses to aid him in cracking a protected system or will slice them into a system to do any number of things. His viruses have frequently been known to shut down large ships, space stations, and even entire fleets. *'Genetics / Sith Alchemy' Although not as polished as his slicing and programming abilities, Sivter's knowledge of genetics and the biological side of Sith Alchemy are formidable. He has experimented on hundreds of different species, both sentient and non-sentient, to isolate the genes responsible for natural abilities that he considers useful. He does so in order to eventually create the perfect body for himself. A natural outgrowth of his experiments are the creatures he creates to serve the Cult of Shadow. Two of his most notorious creations are the Arc Ghouls and the Corrupters. Many of Sivter’s other experiments are simply released into the wilds of Arcanix. Sivter is also well-versed in the other aspects of Sith Alchemy, but he doesn’t have the same expertise in them as he does with genetics. *'Absorbed Spirits' Using the Spirit Absorption technique, Sivter has acquired the full memories and knowledge of two Sith Lords; Dragon Masque and Sorij Xor, giving him a wealth of experience far beyond his physical age. Due to the potential danger to his own mental well-being that comes with each use of the technique, Sivter has so far remained content not to absorb the spirit of anyone else, especially since his two prior absorptions have given him the combined life experience of a being who has existed for roughly 7,000 years. =History= Birth of the Shadow Sivter knew he was destined for great things early on. Fate had gifted him with a perfect memory, and even more telling, the ability to feel the Force. Force-sensitivity was a statistically rare gift for Defel, and when Sivter learned he had that power, his desire rose to learn as much about the Force as he could. However, with no master around to teach him, Sivter resorted to other methods. Always a very dedicated individual, Sivter started information raids, using his natural abilities as a Defel to acquire whatever he could get his hands on. He became a galactic traveler early on, sneaking aboard passenger ships to travel to different worlds in search of new information. By necessity, Sivter’s interests also diverged off into slicing and the language of computers. Later on, as he learned more about the Sith and their alchemical experiments, Sivter began to explore the world of genetics. Through sheer dedication and willpower, as well as a lot of trial and error, Sivter was able to teach himself how to wield the Force from careful study and interpretation of the information he gathered. Once he knew the basics, Sivter focused almost exclusively on stealth and mental abilities, forsaking all but the most rudimentary lightsaber training. He continued to raid and practice for a number of years before he declared himself a Dark Jedi. During his raids, Sivter learned of an ancient Sith planet known as Chisas. It was rumored that on Chisas the ancient Sith had learned how to create droids that could use the Force, but were defeated before the droids could ever enter battle. Sivter made it his first major goal to find Chisas and use the droids to take control of the galaxy. Pursuit of Power For a long time, Sivter was able to escape from the galaxy’s notice as he searched for Chisas. However, that ended when Sivter reached the planet Juoi. A Jedi by the name of Tulsar Leidias managed to thwart Sivter’s attempts to gather information from Juoi time and time again. Sivter appeared to finally give up and leave, but it was all a deception. He was only hiding and waiting for his chance to strike. When he did attack, it was not at Tulsar, but at his family. Tulsar and his daughter, Kalja, were out of town at the time, but Tulsar’s wife and son were not as fortunate and were murdered in cold blood. From that point on, Tulsar’s single goal in life was to hunt down Sivter and bring him to justice. He left Juoi with Kalja and a Marauder Corvette, the Champion of Juoi. Tulsar made sure the Champion was filled with Juoi’s best and set about on a lifelong task of tracking down Sivter. Over the course of years, Tulsar and company had numerous run-ins with Sivter, but the Defel proved to be too slippery to capture and was usually one step ahead of them. Clash at Chisas The major turning point in Sivter’s rise to power was when he ran into an ancient Sith Master, known as Dragon Masque, as well as his cult. Masque had been frozen in carbonite thousands of years ago, but then revived in current times and thus was a true Sith Master. By this time, Sivter was very close to acquiring the information he needed to find Chisas. Masque and his cult were after an ancient Jedi vault that had a good possibility of holding the location to Chisas. Despite his desire to work alone, Sivter decided to join the cult to accelerate his acquisition of the knowledge. While in the cult, Sivter was able to fill in the gaps that his self-training in the Force had neglected. After a series of encounters with Tulsar and his new allies (Devon Vos and his family/friends), Sivter managed to prove himself and rise quickly to become Masque’s de-facto right-hand man despite never formally joining the cult. Masque, knowing his end was near, and seeing the potential in Sivter, bestowed the Defel with all of his power and knowledge and passed away. Infused with this new power, Sivter assumed control of the cult and stepped up his plans to find the Jedi vault, using the Jedi to locate it for him. Even though the Jedi managed to catch on and drive Sivter away by setting the vault’s self-destruct, it was not before Sivter found the information he was looking for. The Jedi followed Sivter to Chisas in a desperate attempt to keep him from producing his new army. Although outnumbered by the cult members and the ancient droid army, the Jedi fought valiantly against Sivter, however his power was too great and one by one they were defeated. Just when Sivter looked to be on the cusp of total victory, Tulsar’s daughter, Kalja, unexpectedly managed to exorcise Masque’s power from the Defel which severely weakened thanks to the effects of the enormous withdrawal. Sivter fled, destroying the factories on Chisas as he did so to cover his escape. The Shadow Grows After his defeat at Chisas, Sivter went into hiding and deep meditation, discovering a planet that suited him by searching through his archives. Since the planet had no real name, Sivter dubbed it Arcanix. Using a combination of his mental trickery as well as the credits and resources he still had access to from his time with Masque’s cult, Sivter had a shady contractor set up facilities for him on the planet so he could continue his research and plans. He declared himself a Master of the Dark Side, but declined to take the title of Sith Lord that had been Masque’s. He considered himself a hybrid of Dark Jedi techniques and Sith magics, unable to fit into either religion, and in his eyes, greater than both of them. Rather than try and use an existing title, he made up a new one and began referring to himself as a Dark Master. After Sivter disappeared from Chisas, Masque’s dark side cult fell apart as power struggles ripped it to pieces. Sivter for his part, paid little attention to the fate of the cult as he used Masque’s imparted knowledge to increase his own understanding and power in the Force. He soon set out to gather specimens for his experiments in genetic manipulation and Sith alchemy. He quietly began capturing sentient and non-sentient beings alike, looking for species who had natural abilities that intrigued him. He had a new dream now that Chisas had been taken from him, that of developing a new race of superior beings to rule the galaxy. Revenge While Sivter was laying low, Kalja had left Tulsar’s determined hunt to help teach at Devon’s Jedi Praxeum before eventually being elected into the newly formed Jedi Council, and then again onto a seat on the New Republic High Council. Tulsar returned to Juoi and began to teach two new students the ways of the Force. Seeing an opportunity to get his revenge, Sivter also returned to Juoi, but not before discovering the tomb of a lesser Sith Lord, named Sorij Xor, to try out the Spirit Absorption technique he had devised. The technique worked and Sivter confronted Tulsar and his students in an attempt to destroy Tulsar, convert his students, and then set about destroying Juoi. He very nearly succeeded as he was able to briefly turn Fen Palka to the Dark Side to do his bidding, but thanks to Tulsar’s training, and knowledge of Sivter, a group of aliens known as Sages were able to exorcise Xor’s power from Sivter, as Kalja had done back on Chisas. Again weakened by the severe withdrawal, Sivter retreated from Juoi. Without Sivter’s influence, Fen regained his senses and repented; adding another soul who cursed the Defel’s name. The Cult of Shadow Sivter remained in hiding until the destruction of Korriban by the Empire’s third Death Star provided him with an enormous opportunity. Although the planet and the Dark Side secrets of their tombs were gone, the accumulated Dark Side energies of tens of thousands of years of Sith magics still stained that area of space. With such a potent well of power waiting to be tapped, Sivter’s ever-scheming mind came up with a way to use that energy. For the first time, Sivter decided that he would need extra hands to achieve his goals. Towards that end, he went about forming the Cult of Shadow. At first it was only the gathered remnants of what was left of Masques’s cult, but Sivter soon began a campaign of secretly recruiting more minions to his cause. He personally sought out exceptional individuals to become part of his soon-to-be-formed Inner Circle. In a way, perhaps the most exceptional newcomer that Sivter brought into the fold was a young orphan he found on Roon named Raii Meriaz. Although Sivter ultimately deemed that Raii wasn’t right for his Inner Circle, she soon became his bodyguard and apprentice. It would become a rare sight to see Sivter without Raii by his side. Although Sivter kept it to himself, he sensed enormous potential in Raii – something the young woman demonstrated on a daily basis to him with how rapidly she advanced through her training. With the cult’s members spreading throughout the galaxy to do his bidding, Sivter was able to gather the materials he needed to siphon Korriban’s Dark Side energies into special crystals. The crystals were then used for a variety of projects. In the simplest application, they could be used to boost the power of the Cult’s members, however they found their way into other projects as well, such as the creation of Sith Amulets and, perhaps more notorious, Arksis Nan’s soon-to-be-created sword, Necroban. In a relatively short amount of time, the Cult of Shadow grew rapidly in power, numbers, and influence. It eclipsed Dragon Masque’s cult in every way and continued to grow... Whispers With the Cult of Shadow firmly established, Sivter began to focus his studies on Dark Side lore again. He looked for other opportunities like Chisas and sent out several Cult members to scour the galaxy looking for knowledge and artifacts thought long-lost. With much of the Cult’s resources dedicated to this task, the “Dark Harvest” as Sivter called it, was highly successful. Sivter’s already formidable archives were flooded with tons of new information and Arcanix was soon populated by more than just Sivter’s genetic experiments. More well-known monsters, such as terentateks, soon became part of the native fauna. Thanks to the Dark Harvest, Sivter was also alerted to an Imperial project after a group of Force-absorbing monsters killed a Cult team on Coruscant. Sensing through the Force that he should deal with the situation personally, he departed for the planet. In short order, Sivter dispatched the creatures and learned where they were coming from. He also unexpectedly ran into Tulsar once again, but thanks in part to Raii’s assistance, he overpowered the Jedi and collapsed a building on top of him, believing him to finally be dead. The mastermind behind the Imperial project was an admiral named Fiella Brinna. The monsters themselves turned out to be creatures known as Mavoi, who had the ability to turn non-Mavoi into more Mavoi after feeding on them. Such a dangerous creature was intriguing to Sivter, as was Brinna’s right-hand woman, a Darksider known as Morwenna. However, as interesting as the situation was, the Defel didn’t see why the Force had urged him to deal with the situation personally until the Admiral mentioned who else was opposing the project: a young man named Reave Hevren Leidias. Reave & Mithral Eager to discover who this previously unknown member of the Leidias Family was, Sivter agreed to head to the Mavoi homeworld, Elysella, and destroy Reave as well as the Jedi Master he was with: Ethan Voss. After sending Arc Ghouls to weaken the pair, and then destroying their only means of leaving the planet, Sivter confronted them himself. Even though Ethan tried to protect Reave from Sivter, the Jedi Master was quickly overpowered by the Defel and forced to fight Morwenna while the other two dueled each other. Although Sivter initially planned to destroy Reave, he changed his goal towards trying to turn the young man to the Dark Side and mold him into a successor of his legacy. The turning point came after Sivter learned that Reave was, in fact, adopted and one of the last descendants of a powerful race known as the Val Aru. Reave refused to submit and attempted to kill Sivter instead, calling on the power of his heritage (in the form of a spirit from a previous life known as Mithral Lyranier Kothralis) to try and defeat the Defel. With the unleashed spirit’s power, Sivter was pushed to his limits, but in the end Reave fell to a combination of the Dark Master’s lingering power and guile. If not for the unexpected reappearance of Tulsar, the Defel would have ended up killing Reave and Ethan. Instead, drained and outnumbered, Sivter was forced to make a retreat. Destruction Determined to take something away from the situation, Sivter returned to Brinna’s secret base despite the fact that he had failed to kill either of the targets given to him. He was pursued by the Jedi, who were led to the base by Morwenna (who had reformed after it was learned that she was Reave’s previously unknown sister). By the time the Jedi arrived however, Sivter had taken full control of the base and exposed the entire crew to the Mavoi, turning them into more of the monsters. To top it off, the Defel had also managed to take control of the Drone Master, which guided the Mavoi’s actions, and thus gave him control over all of the Mavoi. Determined to stop Sivter from using the Mavoi, the Jedi assaulted the base. Tulsar and Reave fought against Sivter and Raii, respectively, while Ethan and Morwenna went to simultaneously take care of the Drone Master. A powerful being in its own right, the Drone Master’s mind had been replaced with a version of Sivter’s own. It stood a good chance of destroying Ethan if not for Morwenna’s assistance. After the Jedi eventually managed to slay the beast, it tried to transfer its mind to another host. After finding the mental defenses of Ethan and Morwenna to be too strong, the weakened Drone Master went after Admiral Brinna, but was killed for good after Ethan severed the former admiral’s head in an act of mercy. In another part of the base, even though Sivter wasn’t up to his full strength, thanks to the battle with Reave earlier, he and Raii still managed to hold their own against Tulsar and Reave. The Defel used several tricks to try and defeat the Jedi (as well as conserve his power), including exposing Tulsar to a point-of-view memory of himself murdering the Jedi’s family, but all were eventually thwarted forcing Sivter to retreat once more – but not before setting the base on a silent self-destruct in one last-ditch effort to kill them all. It was only thanks to Tulsar’s knowledge of Sivter and his methods that the group avoided being drawn into the trap. The destruction of the base did, however, remove the last traces of the Mavoi from the galaxy. In the end, Sivter considered his task a victory since he had accomplished what he originally set out to do: remove the Mavoi as a threat to the Cult of Shadow. His failures to kill the Jedi, turn Reave, or acquire the Mavoi, were all seen as minor grievances in his eyes since he had much bigger plans on the horizon… Legions of Darkness Upon Sivter’s return, the Cult of Shadow had reached sufficient strength for him to initiate what he would eventually term the War of Darkness. The first phase in Sivter’s goal to immerse the galaxy permanently into the power of the Dark Side ironically rested with the Jedi Order on Onderon. In-depth research led him to believe that hidden within the Jedi Archives was the location for a hive of ancient Sith creatures, known as the Schrai, that would serve him well as a private army he could use for any means he desired, including as a precaution against any possible uprisings against his rule from within. The resulting Battle of Onderon, as per Sivter’s usual cunning machinations, was far more than it appeared on the surface. Outwardly the battle was a way to show the galaxy how ineffective the Jedi Order was against the forces of the Cult of Shadow. Those higher within the command structure of the cult knew that the battle itself was just a ruse to distract the Jedi while Sivter secretly snuck into the archives and retrieved the information he sought. However, only Sivter knew that the grueling battle with the Jedi was also designed to weed out the weaker members of the cult to make room for the eventual inclusion of the Schrai. In all respects, the Battle of Onderon was incredibly successful for the Cult of Shadow. The Jedi were caught completely by surprise by the attack and suffered heavy losses, including a member of their Jedi Council, Faarel Blackthorne, whom Sivter personally dispatched with a poisoned dagger through the heart. In addition he was able to slice into the Jedi Archives and find the information he sought. Although the cult held the advantage throughout much of the battle, Sivter chose to call a retreat after acquiring what he was after instead of continuing the battle. In his mind, the Jedi were a sad relic of their once formidable selves and hardly worth the time to eliminate. Instead, with typical deviousness, he allowed the Jedi to survive so that the pain and suffering the cult had caused them would hopefully drive many to the Dark Side, which would help to further his agenda. Ancient Army After the Battle of Onderon, Sivter used the information he had acquired to journey to the jungle moon of Mar’row to free the Schrai from their confinement. The creatures had been sealed underground, and a special ward created through the Force kept them from tunneling their way out. After disabling the remnants of the RSA fleet above the moon with one of his viruses and the help of a corrupt clone of Devon Vos, called Sov Noved, Sivter was able to descend to the moon unchallenged with several empty Action VI Transports. Upon entering the lair of the Schrai, Sivter was confronted by a sentient tuk’ata, known as Taral, who tested Sivter’s credentials as the rightful heir and master of the Schrai. Taral had been the guardian tasked with protecting the Schrai until a worthy Sith Lord would come to reclaim them. Although Sivter didn’t consider himself purely Sith, he was able to easily pass all of Taral’s tests. Afterwards the tuk’ata took Sivter to speak with the Schrai queen, who agreed to serve him if he could break the seal that kept them confined underground. The ancient seal proved to be no challenge for his power and knowledge and was destroyed. The queen was true to her word and created a pact with Sivter that the Schrai would be at his command and his command only. Taral, his task fulfilled, also pledged himself to Sivter. With the RSA fleet still frantically struggling to regain control and unable to even send a disparaging message, Sivter left the moon with his transports full and headed back to Arcanix. He had what he needed for the next phase. New Enemies As Sivter waited for the Schrai to establish their new hive on Arcanix and build up their numbers, he went over the other aspects of his plan and meditated on the future to make sure that nothing would prevent him from finally achieving his goal. It was while meditating on the future that Sivter found that the Force would not confirm his eventual victory; all his visions stopped short of it. This was further corroborated by the cult’s Seers who likewise were unable to divine a true victory for the Cult of Shadow. After research into what could potentially stand in the way of success, Sivter came to the conclusion that a new Sith Lord making waves in the Outer Rim, going under the name of Darth Trayus, was the source of the trouble. According to cult sources, Trayus had a vendetta against the cult, and Sivter in particular, for reasons that remained unknown. Sivter himself didn’t care what reasons Trayus might have had and simply resolved that the problem Trayus represented needed to be solved one way or another before he initiated his next phase in the War of Darkness. With news that Trayus and his forces were in the process of conquering Cylon Imperium space, Sivter made preparations to leave and confront the Sith Lord. Before leaving, however, he finished his work on another project of his as a precaution in case he for some reason underestimated Trayus. The Arcanix Holocron, as he came to call it, not only contained Sivter’s lifetime of knowledge, but that of Dragon Masque and Sorij Xor as well. Once finished, Sivter entrusted it to Raii to carry out his plans if he didn’t return. Assured that his plans would continue, Sivter left for Cylon space with only the Dark Lord Crix and a transport full of Schrai warriors to act as muscle. The Cult of Shadow couldn’t yet compete with Trayus’ growing army and Sivter didn’t plan on trying. The only forces he felt he needed to take care of Trayus were those select few that he brought with him; the fractured remains of the Cylon Imperium would supply the rest… Preemptive Strike Sivter’s plan upon entering Cylon space was to assume control over the remnants of the Cylon fleet and use them against Trayus. His arrival was well-timed as soon after entering Cylon space Sivter captured the transport of System Lord Vis Yaleris. After reading Yaleris’ mind and ripping all relevant information from it, he destroyed the Cylon transport and everyone still left alive upon it, before arriving at Yaleris’ destination and disguising himself through the Force as the System Lord. Sivter as Yaleris assumed control of the sizable Cylon fleet Yaleris had gathered, including a newly built ''Severus''-class Command Ship known as the Byyor Command that served as the flagship. Under the guise of uploading new battle data into the computers, Sivter instead uploaded a virus that quickly spread throughout the fleet and into all the battle droids the Cylons had which allowed him to effectively assume control of any warship he desired. He immediately set the Byyor’s droids against their living masters and slaughtered all but the bridge crew, giving him undisputed control of the powerful ship. His takeover complete, Sivter revealed his true form and gave them the opportunity to serve him or join their comrades in death. Most were smart enough to bow to him. The fleet then jumped to Cylon where Trayus’ forces were in the midst of completing their invasion. Sivter’s newly acquired forces helped turn the tide in the favor of the Cylons until Trayus revealed his own secret and brought in more reserves, including the Inclement. It seemed as though there would be another hard fought battle before Sivter would have a chance to go down to the surface and confront Trayus, however such assumptions only worked upon the idea that Sivter cared about the Cylon cause or its people, which couldn’t be further from the truth. They were simply a means to an end for him, which he demonstrated by taking control of a couple of his ships and forcing them to collide with those that served Trayus. Sivter’s complete lack of compassion thus amply demonstrated, he contacted the commander of the Inclement, Keldon Tyfus, and offered him a chance for a ceasefire. The alternative: the Inclement would be the next ship he targeted for destruction. Tyfus, for reasons both strategic and selfish, agreed to the deal and Sivter, slightly amazed that someone had the good sense not to continue opposing him for once, kept his end of the bargain as well. With the battle in space effectively over, Sivter took Crix with him down to the surface to confront Darth Trayus. He left the Schrai warrior drones onboard the Byyor Command in case Tyfus tried anything. The drones had a hive mind that Sivter had forged a connection to, so he would be able to instantly respond to whatever dilemma might crop up while he was on the ground. Alliance of Necessity By the time Sivter had made it to the surface, Trayus had defeated all opposition and secured the planet for himself. As the Defel Dark Master had suspected he might, Trayus placed traps and sent forces to oppose Sivter’s entrance into the captured Cylon citadel. Neither side was under the impression that they would stop a Darksider of Sivter’s power, rather they were sent to let Trayus observe Sivter’s fighting skills and moves so he could be more prepared for the confrontation. However, Sivter had expected such a move and had brought Crix along for just such a purpose, letting the other Dark Lord handle all of the fighting and stymie any advantage Trayus hoped to gain. Trayus’ plan even backfired on him as the last forces he sent to attack them before the true confrontation came in the form of fallen Jedi that he had recruited to get his revenge on Sivter. Once again Crix took care of the battle, but this time he left one of them alive at Sivter’s orders. The Defel then scoured the Jedi’s mind for the one piece of information he was interested in: Darth Trayus’ true identity. He found it and learned, much to his amusement, that Trayus was really Cadden Blackthorne, son of Faarel Blackthorne. Sivter’s plan of letting the Jedi suffer after the Battle of Onderon worked better than he could ever have hoped. Through the act of killing a Jedi Master, he had created a Sith Lord. The resulting duel was used as a test by Sivter to see how committed Cadden was to the Dark Side. He learned many things of interest to him, including that Cadden, who had truly forsaken his name and identity for his new Sith persona as Darth Trayus, was also merged with an ancient spirit called Rahk'neqah, better known as the Nomad Soul. Sivter, having experience with such things thanks to absorbing the spirits of two previous Sith Lords, as well as his encounter with Reave, had a good idea of what to expect and perhaps had a better idea of what Trayus really was than Trayus himself. His tests at an end, Sivter decided to end the duel with a tricky application of Force Lightning, which caught Trayus by surprise and forced him to admit defeat. Rather than kill his opponent, Sivter decided to let Trayus live upon seeing the potential the Sith Lord could have once his merge with the Nomad Soul was truly complete. While Sivter had no doubt that Trayus would try and kill him again when the opportunity presented itself, he knew he could use Trayus to further his own goals in the meantime. Sivter proposed an alliance of sorts in order to make use of Trayus’ army. They had a mutual enemy in the Sith Empire, which would eventually stand in the way of any other Darksider who tried to subjugate the galaxy. In exchange for his life, Sivter tasked Trayus with breaking apart the Sith Empire. The Sith Lord agreed and an alliance was formed with both sides knowing without it being said that such an alliance would only last once their mutual enemy was no longer a threat. Pleased with the agreement, especially since Trayus could have no idea of the forces Sivter soon planned to command, the Defel bequeathed what was left of the Cylon Imperium to him, but kept the Byyor Command as his new flagship, renaming it the Edict of Darkness. With the problem of Darth Trayus contained for the time being, he could focus on the next essential phase of his War of Darkness. Otherspace Coming soon... =Active Threads= *Cult of Shadow: Darkness Spreads Category:Cult of ShadowCategory:DefelCategory:HalomekCategory:Featured Article